To Alumni and Friends of the Epsilon Epsilon chapter,
We have arrived at the beginning of the fall 2011 semester after having another successful year at the Epsilon Epsilon Chapter. We are all very proud of our accomplishments and we are also very thankful and blessed to have the support of great alumni. We would not be in our current position if it wasn’t for the outstanding support from our active alumni.
In the summer of 2010 we received our sixth Rock Chapter Award from Nationals. This is the highest collegiate award a chapter can receive. We are very proud of this accomplishment and it can be credited to the efforts of our active brothers and to the support from our advisory board. To go along with this national award, Brother Michael Sloan was named Sigma Nu LEAD Facilitator of the Year by the National Fraternity. The LEAD program is the Sigma Nu nationals education program that we put on in conjunction with our candidate program during the fall semesters. In addition to Brother Sloan’s recognition, we also were awarded Excellence in the LEAD program. In addition to these accomplishments, two of our brothers, Bob O’Neal and Kyle Andrews, were awarded Alpha status. The Alpha Award recognizes the top ten graduating Sigma Nus from across the nation; needless to say, receiving two of the top ten graduating seniors is an incredible honor.
Overall, the summer of 2010 was once of incredible success that we imagined would be very, very difficult to reach again.
As we began the fall semester, the Epsilon Epsilon chapter was graced with the presence of our new house mother, Connie Alexander. Mom Connie was a Pi Phi from Oklahoma State, and has been a wonderful blessing to the brothers. In April, the brothers voted her to be the new Sigma Nu Sweetheart.
In September, the chapter paired with the women of Pi Beta Phi to compete in “America’s Greatest Homecoming Celebration.” Throughout the week we competed in different categories, from the Homecoming Sign to the Football Frenzies Flag Football tournament, culminating in the House Decoration walk-arounds. The Pi Phi-Sigma Nu team took first place in the Football Frenzies competition, and 3rd place overall in the Sweepstakes. We are very proud of the work put in by the brothers, led by chairs Bo Harrison and Colton Pease.
In November, the new freshman class paired with the women of Kappa Alpha Theta to put on “Peter Pan” in the annual Freshman Follies competition. Although the show did not place, it was a wonderful performance that brought pride to the chapter.
During the candidate program, we make a very strong effort to put academics at the forefront of the priority list. After hours spent studying and focusing in the classroom, our hard work paid off as the fall 2010 pledge class won first place in grades overall, and the chapter as a whole came in 2nd place among all fraternities at Oklahoma State University.
After the Christmas Break, the Epsilon Epsilon chapter was proud to initiate these new brothers into the house. Led by model pledge Sam Denyer, these 31 new brothers would go on to be incredibly valuable additions to the chapter, with several already being elected to leadership positions in the house.
As spring finally rolled around and the weather warmed up, the brothers paired with the women of Kappa Delta for Oklahoma State’s annual Varsity Revue competition. Led by house directors Ben Brammer, Jayson Boswell and Phillip Spaulding, we put in countless hours preparing for the show; all of which culminated in our rendition of “Pleasantville,” which proudly received 2nd place in the competition. That stellar result extended the chapter’s string of Top 3 finishes in VR to four years, a result that we are incredibly proud of.
Completing the trio of Greek life shows, the Epsilon Epsilon chapter paired with the women of Alpha Chi Omega for the Mom’s Day Spring Sing competition.  With first time directors Thomas Briggs and Logan Singleton at the helm, we put the lives of sailors across the world on display. “Sailors” took third place in the competition; making that 4 out of the last five years the chapter has placed in Spring Sing.
In April, the Interfraternity Council at OSU put on their annual “Greek Week,” where Greek houses joined forces to raise money across campus for different philanthropies. With the women of Alpha Delta Pi, the brothers took first place in the Greek Week sweepstakes, a first for the chapter. At the annual Greek Awards banquet, brother Cameron Sikes won the Outstanding Sophomore of the Year award, and brother Brent Harkrider brought home the Outstanding Greek Junior award as well.
We capped off the month with our yearly Alumni Golf tournament, which we put on to raise money for summer recruitment. This year we had 105 alumni participate, the highest recorded total in the tournament’s history. This speaks volumes to the incredible alumni support that we have, which is the foundation of the chapter’s sustained success.
The incredible recognition the chapter received in the summer of 2010 was repeated this past summer, with the chapter being the featured cover story of the Delta, Sigma Nu’s national publication. This national recognition was supplanted only by the news that our chapter received the prestigious Pursuit of Excellence award from the national fraternity. Epsilon Epsilon was granted excellence status in all ten categories of the award, something that is quite rare for any chapter and an achievement we are extremely proud of. In addition, we had four brothers receive the Alpha Award. Brothers Blair Kirkpatrick, Mark McClure, David McKellips and Ryan Ramseyer received the prestigious distinction, with Ryan also being awarded Sigma Nu Scholar of the Year by the national fraternity. We are incredibly honored to call four of the top ten Sigma Nu graduates from 2011 brothers of the Epsilon Epsilon chapter.

This summer, led by our rush chairmen JB Stuart and Carson Mitchell, the chapter signed 33 new freshmen, from Texas to Chicago and everywhere in between. Our success in rush year in and out could not be managed without the exceptional help we receive from the Epsilon Epsilon advisory board. Headed by chapter advisor Wes Holmes, the advisory board is composed of Brothers Stan Bugh, Steve Brown, Neil Gilpin, Mark Mitchell, Luke Martin, Dave Hubble, John Bartley, and Kurt Bollenbach. We as an executive team meet once a month with these men and discuss the daily activities of the chapter, as well as upcoming events and activities we take part in. They work hard to keep us in line, and we owe them a great deal for the effort and time they give us.
Nationally, the Epsilon Epsilon chapter is well represented amongst Sigma Nu chapters. Brother Joe Francis is currently serving as a vice-regent on the High Council, and brother Charlie Eitel serves as the regent elect. Brother Eitel will serve as the Regent of Sigma Nu in the upcoming year. Former commander Mark McClure also served as one of four collegiate Grand Councilmen for the 2010-2011 school year. In all, three of the 11 members of the National High Council are brothers from the Epsilon Epsilon chapter; without a doubt, one of the most incredible testimonies to the strength of a chapter that this author could imagine.
Overall, the Epsilon Epsilon chapter is proud to be among the leading chapters of Sigma Nu, both on a national and local level. We are looking forward to an excellent year, and hope that you as alumni and friends of the chapter will be involved with us as we continue to excel with honor.

 

 

Asher Coe EE 2317
Eminent Commander

Jeffrey Hendrickson EE 2314
Lieutenant Commander